SEPTEMBER 5: The Brutal Attack on Churches and Premises of the Crimean Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate in Simferopol...

On September 5, at 10:00 a.m., a press conference titled "The Brutal Attack on Churches and Premises of the Crimean Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate in Simferopol and Demands of Civil Organizations of Crimeans to Impose Personal Sanctions on Officials of the Occupational Administration – Abusers of Believers' Rights" is held (Hall 2).

Organized by: Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine.

Participants:Yulia Kazdobina, Adviser to the Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine; Andrii Shchekyn, member of NGO "Crimean Centre for Business and Cultural Cooperation "Ukrainian House", head of the National Newspaper and Magazine Publishing House; Andrii Ivanets, board member of NGO "Union of Displaced Persons", coordinator of NGO "Tavrian Humanitarian Platform".

Additional Information. On 31 August 2017, representatives of the aggressor State attacked the main temple of Saint Volodymyr and Olha, the temple of Christ the Saviour and the working premises of the Crimean Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate in Simferopol.

The security officials of the occupational administration illegally blocked the building where they are located, broke the locks, infiltrated the temples in a blasphemous way, in particular their altar part, and looted a lot of church property.

In addition, they attacked the Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea, Clement, and inflicted injuries on him.

This egregious case became another example of the occupant's policy, aimed at forcing the church's communities out of the temporarily occupied territory and exerting psychological pressure on the entire ethnic Ukrainian community in Crimea.

Such acts are a flagrant violation of fundamental rights and freedoms of Ukrainian nationals as well as of international rules.

Civil organizations of Crimeans have conducted an inquiry to find out the persons of the occupational administration who carried out those illegal acts.

The public is of the opinion that those persons should be subject to personal sanctions of the international community, and Ukrainian law enforcement should hold them accountable.

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